28. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-47): The Cavs have lost five in a row; and Kyrie Irving has been out for six games with a shoulder injury.
27. Detroit Pistons (24-47): The Pistons had lost ten games in a row before defeating the Charlotte Bobcats by one point on Saturday.
26. Phoenix Suns (23-48): The Suns have lost three in a row, and seven of their last eight games.
25. Toronto Raptors (26-44): Losers of four straight, the Raptors are struggling a bit.
24. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-44): The Wolves went 1-3 last week, with their only victory coming against Phoenix.
23. Sacramento Kings (25-46): The Kings currently give up the most points in the league at 104.8.
22. New Orleans Hornets (24-46): After losing four games in a row, the Hornets have won their last two.
21. Utah Jazz (34-36): The Jazz have lost four in a row, and lost nine of their last eleven; essentially giving up the eighth spot in the West to the Lakers thus far.
Next Page: Middle Of The Pack
20. Milwaukee Bucks (34-35): The Bucks have lost three in a row, and lost six of their last eight.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (27-42): The Sixers have improved a bit as of late, having gone 3-2 over their last five games.
18. Washington Wizards (25-44): Including an impressive 18-point comeback against the Lakers on Friday, the Wizards have won five of their last seven games.
17. Portland Trail Blazers (33-37): The Trail Blazers had a modest 2-2 week last week.
16. Boston Celtics (36-33): The Celtics have lost four in a row, and six of their last eight; as the loss of Rajon Rondo earlier this season has seemingly caught up with them.
15. Dallas Mavericks (34-36): The Mavs went 3-1 last week. Dirk Nowitzki has been shooting an a high percentage as of late, as well.
14. Chicago Bulls (38-31): The Bulls won’t be a legitimate contender this season unless they get former MVP, Derrick Rose, back. However, Rose has not set a date for return, and could very well miss the entire season.
13. Atlanta Hawks (39-31): The Hawks have won five of their last seven games.
12. Los Angeles Lakers (36-34): The Lakers had been playing extremely well before giving up an 18-point lead and eventually losing to the Washington Wizards on Friday night. They finally got Pau Gasol back, and Kobe Bryant returned as well, which should help them going forward if they can all lock in on defense for 48 minutes.
11. Golden State Warriors (40-31): Stephen Curry has averaged 29.5 points over the Warriors’ last four games, in which they went 3-1.
Next Page: Nuggets, Heat Continue Dominance
10 Houston Rockets (39-31): The Rockets have won three games in a row, including a one-point victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
9. New York Knicks (42-26): Following a four-game losing streak, the Knicks have bounced back with a four-game winning streak.
8. Indiana Pacers (43-27): The Pacers went 3-1 last week. While holding their opponents to an average of just 89.5 points per game, the Pacers’ calling card is their defense this season.
7. Brooklyn Nets (41-29): The Nets have won seven of their last ten games, and appear as though they are capable of making some noise in the playoffs.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (48-22): The Clippers shook off a 116-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday by winning their following two games.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-19): Despite winning five of their last seven games, the Thunder have lost virtually all the marquee matchups over the last few weeks; losing against conference rivals such as San Antonio, Denver, and Memphis. Add in the losses against the Miami Heat earlier this season, and it isn’t far-fetched to question the Thunder’s ability to contend for a championship this season. Then again, the regular season isn’t always an indicator of how far a team will go.
4. Memphis Grizzlies (47-22): The Grizzlies went 3-1 last week, including a one-point overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
3. San Antonio Spurs (53-17): The Spurs had won four in a row before losing to the Rockets on Sunday. Tony Parker returned one game prior, which is great news for San Antonio.
2. Denver Nuggets (49-22): Winners of 15 straight, the wins haven’t come against easy opponents as the Nuggets have defeated the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder (twice), Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks. The Nuggets are virtually unbeatable at home (with just three losses), and could very well make some noise in the playoffs.
1. Miami Heat (55-14): The Miami Heat have won 26 games in a row and are within reach of surpassing the Lakers’ all-time 33-game winning streak.